5 Mistakes to Avoid When Preparing

Your Pleasanton Home for Sale

Often times, homeowners will do many of the wrong upgrades in preparing their Pleasanton luxury homes for sale. What do I mean by that? They update the home with their taste in mind, but when marketing to the masses, it’s important to follow these guidelines.

1. Granite counters create a luxury feel. I think we can all agree. I’ve seen all too often a homeowner having beautiful granite counters installed on top of original or very outdated cabinets. They might paint the cabinets, but it’s a mistake!

If a homeowner wants to update their kitchen, they need to do the minimal work. If the goal is to update the look, they need to be committed to updating both the countertops and the cabinets.

In the scenario above, the potential buyers see this as a waste of money, and here’s why: In order for the new buyer to update the cabinets to match the beauty of the granite countertops, the granite has to be pulled out and yes… it breaks and will most likely be unusable to put back on top of the newer cabinets. Therefore, the buyer sees that particular upgrade as a waste of money when viewing homes for sale.

2. Home sellers preparing the home for the market often want to touch up the walls in their home and maybe paint a bathroom or a bedroom. Truth be told, touch ups rarely work. All too often, the paint is old or the formula has changed and the touch up can be seen as not matching correctly.

The best way to get top dollar out of your Pleasanton CA luxury home for sale is to freshly paint the interior a neutral color. Neutral colors allow the home to look larger and can match any buyers’ furniture. Let the new buyer pick the style and color of their choice to match their decorating style. That’s part of the joy of buying!

3. Old windows in any home for sale are huge distractions. From a buyer’s standpoint, paints and carpet are simple to think about; windows, on the other hand, can seem overwhelming to the new buyer.

There is also a misconception of the cost of new windows. I personally was under the impression that new windows for my house would cost big bucks but I recently spoke with my contractor and he said that wasn’t true.

He too thinks the general public is misinformed or being taken advantaged of regarding the cost of replacement windows. If you’d like some additional information about window replacement, I’m happy to share my contractor information with you.

4. Old, stained carpet is an immediate turn-off. I recently listed a home with a carpet in the guest bathroom that wasn’t in good condition at all! I asked the seller to please allow me to bring my handyman in for a quote to tear it out and replace it with linoleum. It was under $300 for materials and labor and wow… what a difference

Of course if the home you’re selling is a Pleasanton CA luxury home for sale, linoleum would not be acceptable, but in certain price ranges it’s perfectly fine.

As a minimum, if your carpet is stained, call a carpet restoration company. There is a difference between carpet cleaning and carpet restoration. Do a little investigation and get those carpets looking fresh! It will make a significant difference to the buyer and ultimately to the price you receive for your home for sale.

5. Curb appeal still matters! Just because we are having a severe drought in California doesn’t let you off the hook for having great curb appeal. If your lawn is dead and gone, spend some money to beautify it with a drought tolerant setup. I’ve seen some very lovely front yards that have recently been revitalized with this look. It is perfectly appropriate for our situation and still gives the home buyer a sense of pride in their soon-to-be new home!

Depending on your market, spending $10k on updating your home could return you double your money and could also create a bidding war. The type of market you are in makes a big difference so find a Realtor® that understands the market you live in and let them guide you to your next step. I never advise that you begin upgrades without consulting your Realtor® first!

For more home selling and buying tips, visit http://RhondaFee.com.

If you are looking for a Pleasanton luxury REALTOR® who can help you sell or buy your dream luxury home,

call me, Rhonda Fee, at 925-200-0827. You can also text 925-660-7110 with any of these codes: seller411, buyer411 or homesearch. With my extensive experience and knowledge of the Pleasanton luxury real estate market, combined with a track record of satisfied clients, your next transaction will be the best move you’ve ever made!